The Battle of Antietam
by Stella Luce 333
Summary: A Return to the Past sends Alita & Ulrick a little bit too far back in time…
1. Chapter 1

Alita's POV:

"What is XANA up to?" I asked as I ducked behind the rock that we were taking shelter behind. XANA kept sending Kankrelats to replace the ones we were able to destroy…to defend a single active tower in the Desert. We were hiding out to try & figure out a new strategy.

"This just doesn't make any sense." Yumi said. "All these monsters for just one tower? It seems like a trap…"

"There doesn't seem to be anything on the news that's possibly XANA related ether." Jeremy said.

"Maybe that means something else is the target, like the school or the factory." Ulrick said, watching the Kankrelats to make sure they didn't figure out where we were hiding.

"Who cares? They're _Kankrelats._" Od said. "They're not exactly the smartest monsters XANA has. We can take 'em!"

"Yeh, but let's try to not get sent home in the process." Ulrick said right before a laser hit him directly in the chest.

"Ow!" he yelled. We looked up & saw a Manta flying over us, which explains how it got a lucky shot at Ulrick.

"Looks like getting you to the tower is our only option." Yumi said to me. "Before any more of XANA's monsters decide to show up…"

"I was hoping you'd say that!" Od said.

"Be careful, guys." Ulrick said as he sat back up. "That last shot _hurt_…"

We jumped out from behind the rock & started clearing a path to the tower. Eventually, I was able to make my way to the tower. I was almost there when I heard the Manta cry out & felt a laser hit my ankle.

Ulrick was right. It _did _hurt more than usual…not that it mattered since I was already in the tower.

"Well guys…Whatever XANA was planning, we didn't him the chance to try." Jeremy said after I entered the code. "I'll bring you guys in right…Huh? Hold on, why is it…?

"Jeremy, is everything all right?" I asked, looking around. "Why are you launching a return trip?"

"I'm not!"

* * *

><p><span>Jeremy's POV:<span>

I jolted awake when I heard my alarm clock go off. Darn, I had only meant to rest for a few minutes after we got back from the return trip, not the rest of the night…Looks like I'll be "in the infirmary" for part of the day…

I had just turned my computer on when my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID. "Hey, Od." I answered. "Why are you up this early?"

"Is Ulrick with you?" Od asked.

"No. Why?"

"I'm not sure he came back with us last night." Od said. "He's not here!"

"All right, Od. I'll look into it, see if I can find the problem." I said. "But isn't possible he just got up a little bit early?"

"C'mon, Jeremy! This is _Ulrick _we're talking about!"

"Oh. Right…"

* * *

><p><strong>I've always had an interest in history, but hated how it was taught in school…I mean, there has to be a better way to learn history then just reading about it &amp; filling out a gazillion charts about it, right?<strong>

**Let's find out…**

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

Yumi's POV:

"Did you find them?" I asked as I entered the lab.

"No, not yet." Jeremy said.

"I keep getting the same message every time I call Ulrick or Alita's mobile." Od said. "The call won't go through…"

"According to this, they're not on Lyoko." Jeremy said, typing. "They aren't on any of the Replikas, ether…"

"Wait a minute." I said. "If they're not on Earth & they're not on Lyoko…then where are they?"

* * *

><p><span>Alita's POV:<span>

I opened my eyes & sat up slowly. For some reason, I was in the middle of a forest. That wouldn't be too weird, since I walk in the park all the time…but there were farms in the distance. There weren't any farms near Kadic Academy…

I heard movement behind me & I turned around. Ulrick was waking up.

"What…happened?" Ulrick asked. "Where are we?"

"I have no idea." I said honestly.

"Well, if the sun is setting in that direction, then that way is west." Ulrick said, standing up. "The opposite way is east, so _that _way is north." he said, pointing. "I guess we start walking."

I stood up also. "Or we could just ask directions at the farm." I pointed out.

"…Yeh, I guess we could do that, too…"

We noticed a couple of women were sitting on the front porch as we approached the farm. They were wearing the weirdest clothes, like something out of a history text book…

"What's happened to you?" the older one asked when we got close enough.

"What are you wearing?" the younger one asked. She was definitely younger…Maybe the other woman's daughter? Actually, she didn't seem to be older then us…

"Um…I'm Alita, & this is Ulrick." I said. I wasn't sure how to answer their questions, so I figured it would be easier to introduce ourselves. "We're trying to find our way back to Kadic Academy."

"I've never heard of such a place." the older one said. "Have you, Jane?"

"No." Jane said. She was the younger one. "If there was a school that would accept girls, I'm certain that Dad would have sent me there."

"Well, if it helps, the path down there leads into the town of Sharpsburg." the older one said. "If you go the other way, you'll cross over Antietam Creek eventually. Of course, the only area close by I can think of that would have an academy is Washington DC…"

"What?" Ulrick asked.

"Dinner is ready, Miss Anna." We turned to see an African woman standing in the door way of the farmhouse.

"Set two more settings for our gusts, Kate." Anna, the older one, said. "It's not safe to be out here after dark, especially with everything that's happened at Harper's Ferry."

"What?" I asked, completely confused. I knew from history class that Antietam Creek was in Maryland, which was in the United States…but how did we get here?

"I bought a newspaper in town today." she said, handing it to us. "If you are in school, I'm sure you'll make more sense of it then I can…"

I took the newspaper from her & gasped when I saw the date.

It was September 15th, 1862.

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><p><strong>Just a quick little note before we continue: It's really hard to talk about the American Civil War without talking about slavery. I'm trying to have this story be (sort of) historically accurate, &amp; I want to apologize in advance in case I accidently offend anybody…<strong>

**Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Ulrick's POV:

"Nice outfit." I said when I saw Alita. Since she & Jane were roughly the same size, Alita was able to borrow one of Jane's nightgowns. Of course, on Alita it looked like some weird Halloween costume…

"Don't worry. I heard Jane & her mom talking. They're gonna try & see if they can borrow some clothes for you from the next farm over…" Alita said as she sat down on her "bed" of hay. We were lucky that we were able to spend the night in the barn. It's not like we had any other place to go…

"So…Do you have any idea about how we got here?" I asked.

"XANA." Alita said. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

"But time travel? I didn't think that was possible…"

"The Return to the Past is sort of like time travel." Alita pointed out. "It wouldn't be too farfetched to assume that the supercomputer would be able to go farther through time then just a day or two…"

"Obviously." I said. Then a thought hit me. "What if this isn't 1862? What if this is like that time that XANA tried to trap you on Lyoko by making a bubble with the Hermitage inside it?"

"It's not." she said. "I have a connection with Lyoko, remember? I can tell the difference." She looked up at me. "But you're right about one thing: This is a XANA trap."

"What I don't get is why he did he send us here, & this time period?" I asked. "It's not like XANA to just do something randomly…"

"…You don't pay attention in history class, do you?"

"I'm lucky if I'm _awake _in history class."

"The Battle of Antietam was one of the bloodiest days of the American Civil War." Alita explained. "By the end of the battle, more than 22,000 soldiers were missing, wounded, or dead."

"When dos it happen?" I asked, even though I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.

"September 17, 1862."

"What?" I said. "But that's the day after tomorrow!"

"I know."

Frustrated, I punched the wall next to me. One of the bricks moved!

"…I'm sure that brick was probably like that already." I said, since Alita was staring at me wide eyed. I looked closer at it as I tried to move the brick back in place.

"Can you bring the light over?" I asked. "I think there's something back here…" It took a little effort, but I was able to slide the brick out. There were a bunch of papers hiding behind the brick.

"What do you think these are?" I asked Alita, who was sitting next to me. She held the candle up so we were both able to see.

_Dearest Jane,_

_I am so grateful to your father for the fact that we are both skilled in reading & writing. I know you take as much pleasure in these notes as I do. I know that it seems like something out of one of the books that I'm "always" reading, but it's so nice to have a method of communication that we can keep completely private._

_I know you fear for my decision to be a part of this war, but I feel as if it's my duty. It is the only way to make sure that you will be safe, so that we may have a future together._

_When I write to you next, I'll be with my brothers in the Union Army._

_With love,_

_Adam_

"These are love letters." Alita said. "We probably shouldn't be reading them…" Alita moved back to her bed as I put everything back how we found it.

"We should probably get some sleep." Alita said, blowing out the candle. "It'll be a long day tomorrow…"

* * *

><p><strong>As always, I'm terrible at physical descriptions, so there's a picture of Jane on my profile (in her day clothes, not her nightgown). I'm still working on trying to find a picture of what boys would have worn during this time period, but I'll try to get that up soon…<strong>

**Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

Alita's POV:

"Man, what a day." Ulrick said as we climbed into the loft. "I didn't think it was possible to be this tired…"

"Tomorrow will be a big day too…" I said, settling into bed. All day long, Ulrick & I had helped Jane & her family out on the farm, waiting for a sign from Jeremy & the others. Nothing came. Ulrick & I were still stuck in the middle of the Civil War…& tomorrow would be one of the worst battles in American history.

"You know, maybe the battle won't be anywhere near here." Ulrick said, trying to make me feel better.

"I doubt that." I said. "We weren't far from this farm when we got here…XANA was probably trying to put us directly in the line of fire."

"Isn't there anything we can do to get home?"

"I'm still not sure how XANA even managed to send us here." I admitted. "It's not like there are a lot of supercomputers in 1862…We just have to wait until Jeremy figures out how to get us home." I blew out the candle, making the entre barn dark. "We should get some rest. Tomorrow's the big day...Good night, Ulrick."

"Night, Alita."

* * *

><p><span>Yumi's POV:<span>

"Did you find them?" I asked as Od & I entered the lab. School was over for the day, & Jeremy hadn't gone to any of his classes, according to Od. We had been planning to stop by any way, before Jeremy called asking for us to come to the factory right away.

"Not exactly." Jeremy said, turning to look at us. "But I think I might know how to find them…"

"Great! What's the plan, Einstein?" Od asked.

"Well, I couldn't find anything on the supercomputer, but it's pretty obvious that XANA did something to them that kept them from coming back home during the return trip." Jeremy explained. "If there's no data about that on the supercomputer, there's only one place it would be."

"You mean a Replika?" Od asked.

"Sector Five?" I guessed.

"You're both right." Jeremy said. "I think the program XANA used might be stored in a Replika of Sector Five."

"But there's millions of Replikas." I said. "How are we supposed to know which one has the data?"

"We don't…We'll just have to start looking…"

"Cool!" Od said. "When do we leave?"

"Now, if you're ready."

* * *

><p><span>Alita's POV:<span>

I sat up, heart pounding, coming out of one of my nightmares. It took me a few minutes, but then I remembered where & when I was. Tomorrow was the Battle of Antietam…

Suddenly, the wolves didn't seem so bad after all…

"Alita…Are you all right…?" Ulrick asked, still half asleep.

"I'm fine." I said. "Sorry for waking you, go back to sleep." I was about to go back to sleep myself when I herd something.

It sounded a lot like footsteps.

I quietly moved over to the ladder leading out of the loft & looked out at the barn. I saw a figure taking down a lantern & putting a lit candle inside it. The figure stepped into the moon light coming from the barn's window & I noticed it was Jane.

But why was Jane awake at this hour of the night?

I grabbed the dress she had lent me & put it on over my night gown. I had to find Jane & get her back here before dawn…

Before the Battle of Antietam started…

* * *

><p><strong>I just want to apologize for the huge amount of time waiting for this update. Between writer's block, the holidays, &amp; completely changing how this story will end, it took a while to figure out what had to go into this chapter. I know better than to promise you guys that there will be updates every week, or anything like that, but I will do everything in my power to post new chapters somewhat regularly…<strong>

**Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Alita's POV:

"Princess, is now really the best time to take a walk?"

I gasped & whirled around to see Ulrick behind me. "Ulrick!" I whispered. "Why are you awake at this hour?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." he said.

"Jane snuck out." I said. "I have to find her & make sure she's safe."

"Are we allowed to do that?" Ulrick asked as he followed me. "I mean, I don't know a lot about real time travel, but on TV you're never allowed to change history…"

"By that same logic, you can argue that Jane lives _because _we were here to save her." I pointed out. "I don't know, Ulrick. This is all so confusing. Time travel isn't even supposed to be possible, but here we are!"

I stopped & looked around. I couldn't see the light from Jane's lantern anywhere.

"Well, now we have to find her." I said.

"Why?"

"Because I don't know how to get back to the farm from here…"

* * *

><p>"…Dos it seem like the sky is a little bit brighter then when we started?" I asked Ulrick, though I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answer…<p>

"Yeh." Ulrick said. "It's not exactly dawn, but it will be pretty soon…"

"That doesn't give us much time."

"No, it doesn't." Ulrick agreed. "JANE!" he called out.

"Are you nuts?" I asked. "We don't know where other farms are, & people might be sleeping."

"Do you want to find her or not?"

He called her name a few more times, & this time I joined him.

We had to get back before dawn.

* * *

><p>"Ulrick, I think I found her!" I said when I saw somebody who looked exactly like Jane just up ahead. "Jane! JANE!"<p>

She jumped & tried to turn to face us. A boy about her age was holding her, & it looked like their kissing would have gotten a little bit more passionate if we hadn't interrupted.

"I can explain." Jane said as we approached. She turned to the boy. "I didn't tell them about us Adam, I swear…"

"You must be Kate's son." I said when I saw him. He looked exactly like his mom. "We have to get back to the farm right now."

"I can explain." Jane said again.

"Let me." Adam said, moving out of their embrace. "I know that this seems a little unusual, but…I'm lucky enough that Jane's father has educated me. I know my reading, writing, & arithmetic very well. I truly feel like I'm able to take care of Jane for the rest of her life. That's why I became part of this war. It's my duty to keep her safe." He reached out & held her hand. "The truth is...Jane & I are in love. Our skin may be different, but I can't imagine my life without her in it. After all, love doesn't have a skin color."

"Aw…That's so romantic!" I said. Ulrick cleared his throat, reminding me that time was of the essence. "But we really need to get out of here right now."

"Why?" Jane asked as the sun started to rise over the horizon.

I tried to come up with a good reason that wouldn't reveal too much…but then I heard gun shots go off, maybe a few miles from where we were.

The Battle of Antietam had begun.

* * *

><p><strong>I know it probably doesn't seem like it, but we're starting to get close to the end of story…so I want to tell you about the special Q&amp;A chapter I have planned…<strong>

**I like to put a special chapter at the end of my fics where I answer any questions you send me, just as a way to thank you for reading the story…Just leave any questions you want answered in your reviews, & I'll answer them in the Q&A! I also have a Form Spring account if you prefer…**

**Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

Jeremy's POV:

"Ok guys, let's see what we have here…" I said when Yumi & Od got to the info panel. Yumi started scrolling through the data while I skimmed. "Wait, go back!"

"Did you find something, Jeremy?" Yumi asked.

"Yes! This is exactly what we've been looking for!" I said. "Send me the data, & I should be able to write a program to bring Alita & Ulrick back home."

"Great!" Od said. "How do we do that, Einstein?"

"Um…I don't know…" I looked carefully at the screen showing XANA's interface. "But I'm sure it can't be too hard to figure out…"

* * *

><p><span>Alita's POV:<span>

"It'll be ok." I whispered. Soon after we got back, Ulrick had helped Jane's mom move the bookcase in front of the only window. We sat in the semi darkness, trying to pretend that we couldn't hear the gun shots outside…

"I just can't stop thinking about Adam." Jane whispered. Adam had run off to join the battle before any of us were able to stop him. "I can't help but wonder…if he'll make it back to me…"

"You can't think like that." I whispered, after glancing up to make sure Jane's mom wasn't listening in…but she seemed to be having a whispered conversation with Kate.

"I understand how you feel." I continued. "There's somebody very special to me that I can't be with right now, but all I can do is take things one day at a time until I can see him again…"

"I know." Jane whispered. "But that doesn't make me any less worried…"

"Yeh." I whispered. "Me too."

* * *

><p>"Do you guys hear that?" Ulrick asked.<p>

"Hear what?" I asked. I couldn't hear anything…

"Exactly!" Ulrick said. "I can't hear the battle anymore!"

"Do you think this means it's over?" Jane asked as her mom came over to sit with us.

"I suppose it does." she said. "At least for now…"

We were about to get to work on our chores when Ulrick pulled me aside.

"Is it _really _over?" he asked.

I shook my head slightly. "Not until tonight…" Since we couldn't hear it anymore, I assumed the battle had moved on to the area of the battlefield that would eventually become known as Bloody Lane.

We all jumped as somebody knocked on the front door. Jane's mom answered it.

"Good day, ma'm." said the visitor. "There have been a great many wounded during the fighting this morning, & we're running out of space to care for them all. Will you allow us to treat some of them in your barn?"

"Of course." Jane's mom said. She turned to us. "Why don't you three get the animals out of the barn, so that the doctors have enough room to work?"

We quickly got to work. We were just finishing up when I heard Jane cry out. Her legs seemed to give out & Ulrick quickly caught her before she hit the ground.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Jane pointed at the wounded men that were being brought into the barn…

Adam was one of the wounded.

* * *

><p><strong>Dun dun dun…!<strong>

**Sorry, couldn't resist adding that…**

**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

Jane's POV:

There was so much blood…

All of us were sitting around Adam's body as we waited for the doctors to treat him. I held Adam's hand, the one that wasn't covered in blood, in between my own.

"Adam?" I said when I noticed his eyes start to open. "Can you hear me?"

"…Jane?...Is that you…?" Adam asked.

"It's me." I said, squeezing his hand slightly. "I'm right here."

"You are very lucky to be alive." Kate said, as she wiped his forehead with a cloth.

"I know, Mom…" Adam said. "I…know…" His eyes started to close again.

"Don't leave us, Adam." I said, quickly. "Please don't leave us."

I herd somebody clear their throat. I turned to see one of the doctors standing there.

"I'm sorry, but you will have to step outside." he said. "We need the space to be able to work."

"Will he live?" I asked.

"I will do everything I can." he answered, even though that wasn't really an answer. "But there are a great many wounded, & I must get started before even more are brought here." He must have noticed my shock because he continued. "You didn't think that these were the only wounded, did you? This is just a small number of them. Thankfully, many of your neighbors have opened their homes & barns to us, but my assistants & I can't be everywhere at once."

"I don't know much about medicine, but I learn quickly." I said as I stood up. "If you can show me what to do, maybe I can help you."

"We'll help as well." my mom said, as she & Kate also stood.

"So will us." Ulrick said, stepping forward with Alita. The doctor seemed at a loss for words.

"Well…You can start by making up a few tables for us to work on. Some wooden planks stretched across barrels should do nicely. Be quick about it, for every moment might just be somebody's last breath."

* * *

><p><span>Alita's POV:<span>

"Penny for your thoughts, Princess?" Ulrick asked as he sat down next to me.

"I just needed to take a break." I said. "Just…getting a breath of fresh air."

"…You know, a sun set shouldn't be this pretty on a day like today." Ulrick said after we had sat in silence for a while. "With so many dead & wounded, it just doesn't feel right…"

"At least the battle's over." I said. "We survived."

"Yeh, but we still don't have a way to get back home."

"Jeremy will find us, Ulrick. I can feel it." I said. I felt a sort of weird tingle in the pit of my stomach. "Actually, I think I _can _feel it." I turned to Ulrick. "Do you feel that?"

"Yeh…Apparently, my stomach's not as strong as I thought it was." Ulrick said. "I've been kinda queasy ever since we started helping out…"

"No, not that." I said. "It feels like…like getting sent home from Lyoko! Ulrick, I…I think we're getting rescued!"

* * *

><p><strong>Just a quick reminder about the Q&amp;A chapter: It's coming soon! We only have one more chapter left, so make sure to send in your questions!<strong>

**Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

Alita's POV:

It felt so good to be back in my own clothes, in my own time period…

After Ulrick & I showered & changed clothes, we met our friends in Jeremy's room to tell them everything that had happened…

"This is awesome! Think of all the possibilities…" Od said when we finished. "We'd never have to study for a history test! We'd be able to just go back & watch it happen!"

"No, Od." Ulrick said. "It's too dangerous. Alita & I are lucky that we weren't killed…"

"What I don't understand is how two days passed for you when you were only gone for one day here…" Yumi said.

"It might have been my mistake." Jeremy said. "I didn't just change to program to undo what it did. I had to switch it so that they didn't have to get shot by XANA's monsters for it to work…"

"There's really no way to know." I said. "Many people have come up with many theories about time & time travel, but at this point, they're all just theories…"

"It's hard to know where to start." Jeremy said. "There's H. G. Wells, Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton…"

"Steven Moffat…" Od added.

"You know, I wonder what happened to Jane & Adam." Ulrick said. "Do you think there's any way to find out?"

"Our school's library has subscriptions to some research databases." I said. "Maybe there's one for genealogy research?"

The discussion would have continued if Jeremy's computer hadn't started beeping. XANA had activated a tower.

"Looks like time travel will have to wait…" Jeremy said.

"Hold on!" Od said as we headed out into the hall way. "We haven't decided what to do with the time travel program!"

"We have bigger issues to worry about right now." Yumi said. "It can wait. Besides, who knows what the future holds?"

"Well…We _could _take a peek & find out…"

"Od…"

"All right, all right, I was just kidding!" he said. "Mostly kidding, any way…"

* * *

><p><strong>Wow…It's hard to believe that this story is over. I mean, most of the time was taken up by school work, but I'm so glad you guys put up with the long waiting periods &amp; made it to the end. This was a really fun project to work on, so I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it for you!<strong>

**But technically, it's not over yet…There's still the Q&A chapter! I think I'll be optimistic & say that it should be posted by March 24, but I think this story has been a perfect example of how I can sometimes miss a deadline I set for myself…so if it's past that date & it isn't posted yet, you can keep sending in questions until you see it…**

**Please review!**


	9. Q&A

**Do you have any favorite books? What about movies?**

I have so many favorites that it's hard to narrow it down! I love reading just about anything that captures my interest…I'll just say that you can't go wrong with anything by Meg Cabot, DJ McHale, James Patterson, or Melissa De La Cruz.

My favorite film of all time has got to be Cinderella. Tron: Legacy, Burlesque, & WALL-E are also pretty amazing though…& I love everything the Muppets have done, which is probably a weird thing to say at my age…

**Who inspires you?**

Probably the people who are close to me, like my friends & family. They give me so much strength & support in everything I do. I'm also really inspired by people like Walt Disney & Taylor Swift…People who have changed the world simply by not giving up on their dreams…

Of course, the fact that you guys take time out of your lives to read this story & send me reviews always inspires me to keep working…

**If you had to change your hair color, what color would you choose?**

I'd probably dye it red. You don't really see red hair all too often…Besides, some of my favorite characters have red hair: Daphne Blake, Donna Noble, Amy Pond, Blossom of The Power Puff Girls, Star Fire of Teen Titans, Kim Possible...

If not red, then I'd probably still pick something that wasn't very common. If I had to change my hair color, why not pick something that stands out?

* * *

><p><strong>I know it took a long time to get here, but thanks for sticking with this to the end! Especially those of you who kept up with this as each chapter was posted…It's hard to believe that it took most of a school year to write this!<strong>

**I hope that you guys will check out some of the other stories I've written, especially since I'm already working on my next idea…**

**See you soon!**


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